Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Bossier Parish ( ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Benton. As of 2010, the population was 116,979. The principal city is Bossier City, which is located east of the Red River from Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. Bossier Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Shreveport–Bossier City–Minden Combined Statistical Area. Lake Bistineau and Lake Bistineau State Park are included in parts of Bossier and neighboring Webster and Bienville parishes. Loggy Bayou flows south from Lake Bistineau in southern Bossier Parish, traverses western Bienville Parish, and in Red River Parish joins the Red River. History Bossier Parish is named for Pierre Bossier, a 19th-century Louisiana state senator and U.S. representative from Natchitoches Parish. Bossier Parish was spared fighting on its soil during the American Civil War. In July 1861, at the start of the war, the Bossier Parish Police Jury appropriated $35,000 for the benefit of Confederate volunteers and their family members left behind, an amount then considered generous.John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, p. 38 Connell Fort, later the mayor of Minden, Louisiana, was born in 1867 in the Bossier Parish community of Bellevue."Connell Fort Dies Saturday Night at His Residence Here: Was Great Civic Worker and Builder of This City," Webster Signal-Tribune, March 5, 1937, pp. 1, 6 Law and government Bossier Parish is governed by a 12-member elected body, the Bossier Parish Police Jury (equivalent to county commission in other states). Eddy Shell, a prominent Bossier City educator, served on the police jury from 1992 until his death in 2008. Here is the current makeup of the police jury: * District 1 - Hank Meachum * District 2 - Glenn Benton * District 3 - Wanda Bennett * District 4 - Winfred R. Johnston * District 5 - Barry Butler * District 6 - Rick Avery * District 7 - Jimmy Cochran * District 8 - J. Brad Cummings * District 9 - William R. Altimus * District 10 - Jerome Darby * District 11 - Wayne Hammack * District 12 - Paul M. "Mac" Plummerhttp://policejury.mybossier.com/pj/jurors_details.asp?ID=12 Geography The parish has a total area of , of which is land and (3.19%) is water. Four miles east of Bossier City is Barksdale Air Force Base. Major highways * Interstate 20 ** Interstate 220 * U.S. Highway 71 * U.S. Highway 79 * U.S. Highway 80 * Louisiana Highway 2 * Louisiana Highway 3 Adjacent parishes *Miller County, Arkansas (northwest) *Lafayette County, Arkansas (north) *Webster Parish (east) *Bienville Parish (southeast) *Red River Parish (south) *Caddo Parish (west) National protected area * Red River National Wildlife Refuge (part) Demographics ; Report on the Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census, 1890. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1895. }} in Bossier Parish]] As of the census of 2000, there were 98,310 people, 36,628 households, and 26,628 families residing in the parish. The population density was 117 people per square mile (45/km²). There were 40,286 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 74.66% White, 20.82% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. 3.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 36,628 households out of which 36.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09. In the parish the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $39,203, and the median income for a family was $45,542. Males had a median income of $32,305 versus $23,287 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $18,119. About 10.60% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over. Presidential election results In 2008 Republican John McCain easily beat Democrat Barack Obama in Bossier Parish. McCain won 71.4% of the vote and 32,706 votes. Obama won 27.7% of the vote and 12,701 votes.New York Times Election Map Since 1952, Independent George Wallace (1968) has been the only non-Republican to win the parish.David Leip's Presidential election Atlas (Louisiana electoral mapsGeographie Electorale National Guard The 165th CSS (Combat Service Support) Battalion is headquartered in Bossier City. This unit was deployed to Iraq in 2008. Also located in Bossier City is the 156TH Army Band which deployed as part of the 256th Infantry Brigade in 2010 to Iraq. Communities Cities and towns *Benton *Bossier City *Haughton *Plain Dealing Census-designated places *Eastwood *Red Chute Education Bossier Parish School Board operates public schools in the parish. Image:Bossier Parish Library in Benton, LA IMG 2371.JPG|Bossier Parish Library in Benton Image:Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office in Benton IMG 2374.JPG|Bossier Parish's Sheriff's Department in Benton Image:Bossier Parish School Board office IMG 2395.JPG|Bossier Parish School Board office in Benton See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Bossier Parish, Louisiana References External links * Bossier Parish Category:Settled in 1843 Category:parishes of Louisiana Category:Bossier Parish, Louisiana Category:Shreveport – Bossier City metropolitan area Category:Geography of Shreveport, Louisiana